Kit Kat Description Page Lists MMS Support for New Version of Hangouts (Updated)

With each name change of Android, Google usually puts together a nice website that gives people a good run-down of what they can expect in the next update. If you head over to the one that went live for Android 4.4. KitKat today you can get a good description of all the changes upcoming. If you scroll down to the section discussing Hangouts, you can clearly see MMS messages listed in the description. Hooray!

Earlier this week, we were a little bit disappointed when MMS was missing from the announcement of the new version of Hangouts, but this makes us a bit more happy. There was no reason to boast about having “all our messages in one place” if MMS was not going to be included, so it is nice to see that Google added that feature in. Now if only they could integrate Google Voice as well, but that might be for the next version of Android.

Update: In a G+ post, Android team member Randall Sarafa gave us a few more details on the MMS situation for Hangouts, along with a timeline for release.

– SMS/MMS (Android 4.0+): send and receive text messages in Hangouts! No more chasing conversations across apps, texts will now appear in Hangouts and you can reply right there. We also let you import all of your existing text messages into the app, send/receive group texts and even text emoji to your friends on Android, iPhone, etc.

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edmicman

Did they fix the mms bug from the stock app? If someone sends more than one picture message in a row with a text comment it comes through as a slideshow. Other message apps work fine, it’s just the stock app that’s broken.

refthemc

I just hope its lighter and faster cause hangouts now runs like Chrome on my Gnex.

Rand Paul 2016

So will this use data for sms/mms or the carriers messaging plan still?

Guest

Can someone explain to me how Hangouts has MMS and not SMS… I anticipate this request will be interpreted as me bitching that Hangouts doesn’t have SMS – that’s not what I am saying. MMS is through one’s phone number, correct? If Hangouts pulls in MMS’s how can it not also do texting? Or can it?

Ortega

Are we still going to have to pay text messaging through our carrier?

Ortega

Are well going to need SMS through our carrier still?

jzwerlz43

will sms support only be elibible for people who also use hangouts or will u be able to text anybody in your contacts ?

J Dub

I made the right choice porting my number of like 15 years out of Google Voice then. I had it integrated, but was not pleased. It still showed up as funky numbers when people text me. If they fully integrate Voice to Hangouts so it is seamless then I might port back to GV.

Booyabobby

I want to try V2 of Hangouts now!

Scott Kart

Will this replace the messaging app on <4.4?

Brendan Owens

From what I believe you will have to choice to enable it as your default messaging app after you get the update. (your old messaging app will still be there, just unused if that’s what you choose to do)

Ryuuie

So it’d be like the Browser > Chrome situation on every phone except the Nexus 5…eww. 🙁

Brendan Owens

Yeah I think so. Good news though is that Samsung and HTC users will be able to use hangouts for texting

LucasMonroe

All I want to know is will it work with the cool pop up window feature on the G2?

DC_Guy

Will I be able to use Hangouts to send SMS/MMS from my tablet and/or cumputer as well? Will the message show up as being sent from my actual phone number and not from my email address if I send from a tablet/computer?

Nayners

This is what I’d like to know.

Mike Hilal

It would be awesome if that were to be the case

nmaxfield

i sincerely doubt it. not without gvoice being integrated in. so maybe in the future, but i wouldn’t expect it with this update.

DanSan

download system dump of nexus 5
take out hangouts.apk
????
profit

Paul Hansen

First thing I thought of too lol.

evan brown

vwvortex logic<3

Andrew

It needs Android 4.4 KitKat to run apparently. 🙁

Seiga

Only a matter of time before someone releases the apk.

meh

Pretty irrelevant if it isn’t allowing them to be sent over data or WiFi. Just means if you’re talking to someone in hangouts you don’t have to switch to your texting app to send a pic to someone else. Was hoping this would mean we could remove texting from our plans.

SparkysShocker

Texting over wifi/data is called instant messaging which Hangouts already does. And to solely do it over data/wifi would require the person you are trying to text to also have hangout because it would be sent through the app and not the carrier.

patrick

animated .gif support? it’s about damn time

chris_johns

all i gotta say is….finalfkingly

Droid Ronin

It feels like Christmas.

kevin

So basically this will be like Imessages for android correct?

chris_johns

yup…finally

kevin

as bad as it is…this was the only reason I was interested in today’s announcement at all. Going to tell all my friends that have android to get this app asap

Fresh360

Better because it also has video calling and is platform agnostic…It’s what iMessage could be if it added facetime and released it in the Play Store.

joejoe5709

Dang. Well when you put it that way… Wow.

A.Miller

So to the end user of Hangouts, it won’t matter to you if your texting buddy is on Hangouts or not. You’ll just click their name and say “hello” and it’ll send it via SMS or Hangout instant messaging based on what the other person has?

It won’t matter to the person sending it? If so, awesome.

Shane Redman

I want that new dialer that incorporates maps searches and gives you numbers

Steve B

Yeah, the new smart caller ID looks awesome.

Kofi Williams

“The Nexus 5 will be the first device to have access to the latest version of Hangouts and all of its new features, but rest assured that you’ll get the update on any device running Android 4.0 and above in the coming weeks.”

-androidcentral.com

Bowen9284

First the Red Sox win the World Series last night, now all this oozing Googleness everywhere. It was a good day…

They said
” SMS/MMS (Android 4.0+)”
Sounds like SMS and MMS are coming to all devices ICS and higher

jyabor91

If we’re running 4.3.1 does that mean handouts will work with mms for us as well? Or is it only a 4.4 thing?

chris_johns

question of the hour

The Dude

All I want to know is – can I send SMS from my google voice # using the Hangouts app, over data/wifi. I don’t even have a txt plan.

And will there be support for phone calls via Hangouts using my GV number. For gods sake iOS already has this.

mgamerz

Nope. Only for the built in number, not Gvoice.

Source: The Verge hands on impression of N5

Jordan

No, not yet. I imagine it’s coming eventually though(the iOS app has already integrated calling, so i assume both sms/calling will eventually come).

interstellarmind

Although I have no problem with Google releasing the phone like this (gives us die-hard nexus fans a chance to get ours first!), I still would like some sort of event detailing the features, new vs old, improvements, etc, of both KitKat and the N5.

I mean, it is really odd that new photo features on G+ got an event but a new Nexus did not?

Godzilla

Will the new hangouts work with 4.3? Or is 4.4 required?

Kofi Williams

I believe this is a hangouts feature that 4.4 has only

Godzilla

that would suck if you have one device on 4.3 and one on 4.4

MikeSaver

likely the case for a lot of people with Nexus 7s and a non-Nexus phone. Or a GNEX. Like me.

Per Article
” SMS/MMS (Android 4.0+)”
Sounds like any device on ICS or higher will get the new version of hangouts.

Godzilla

Release the damn hangouts google!!

Eddie R

score!

Steve B

The smart caller ID feature is pretty awesome too.

Paul

Something still seems fishy… any chance the newer post is the one that is wrong?

Paul

Why the downvote? I’m genuinely curious. It seems odd to miss something as distinct as MMS when announcing SMS support when those very upgrades are the entire reason for that particular press conference.

Additionally, that one line in the Kit-Kat description is the ONLY reference to MMS I’ve seen anywhere.

I find it at least just as likely (if not more likely) that they accidentally included the word MMS on the (very briefly and largely detail-less) announcement than if they “forgot” to mention it at the dedicated hangouts announcement.

Jivester

lol, jk

Jordan

I don’t see any reason they wouldn’t put MMS… this is completely replacing the Messages app for SMS. It HAS to have MMS.

Tyler Bowden

Was it actually stated that it will replace the stock SMS app? I didn’t watch the press confererence.

I really hope that it does, it’s the only way hangouts will get mass adoption like iMessage has.

Stephen Cox

I don’t see how it can replace the stock messaging app. The stock app is part of the core Android system build w/o Google services, isn’t it?